Objective To explore the association between triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) and the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in middle-aged and elderly (aged≥45 years) people, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Methods A total of 859 patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases who were hospitalized in the Department of General Medicine of Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College from January 2020 to November 2024 were selected as the observation group, and 859 patients with non-cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases hospitalized during the same period were selected and matched 1:1 by age (±2 years) and gender as the control group. The TyG-BMI index was compared between the two groups，and the TyG-BMI was divided into three groups according to the control group quartile: low-level group (Q1:< P25), medium-level group (Q2:P25-P75), and high-level group (Q3:>P75). The relationship between the TyG-BMI and the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was analyzed by conditional logistic regression. Results The TyG-BMI score in the case group was significantly higher than that in the control group (t=14.944，P<0.001), with the most significant difference in the age group of 45-55 years old (t=14.276, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that each unit increase in the TyG-BMI index was associated with a 1.406-fold increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (95% CI: 1.231-2.301). The analysis of different index levels showed that compared with low-level TyG-BMI, the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was higher at medium or high TyG-BMI. The subgroup analysis showed that the TyG-BMI index only had an effect on cardiovascular disease (OR=1.472, 95%CI: 1.141-3.032). Conclusion The TyG-BMI is positively correlated with the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in middle-aged and elderly people, with a stronger association with cardiovascular disease.

Background: and Purpose Therapeutic target selection in noninvasive brain stimulation for poststroke motor recovery typically relies on the interhemispheric inhibition model, which is effective for mildly affected patients but offers limited benefits for severely affected individuals. The mechanisms governing recovery from moderate-to-severe stroke remain poorly understood, which hinders the development of targeted interventions. Methods: We analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from patients with unilateral subcortical stroke and moderate-to-severe upper limb deficits, both pre- and postintervention, along with data from healthy controls. We developed a novel dynamic lag analysis method for identifying recovery-related homotopic sensorimotor regions with altered interhemispheric interactions. To further uncover the global reorganization pathway, we developed dynamic lateralization approaches to detect large-scale functional connectivity (FC) alterations associated with the identified regions in transient lateralization states. Results: Dynamic time-lag analysis revealed significantly reduced synchronized states in the homotopic dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) post-intervention compared with pre-intervention, which correlated with motor recovery. Further dynamic lateralization analysis revealed a prolonged segregation state in patients, characterized by weakened interhemispheric and strengthened intrahemispheric interactions. In this state, patients showed decreased FC in the ipsilesional PMd and increased FC in the contralesional PMd with bilateral subcortical networks. These recoveryrelated alterations were absent in the traditional static analysis. Conclusions Dynamic analyses targeting interhemispheric interactions are valuable for understanding neural reorganization after stroke. The diminished interactions between the homotopic PMd indicate a compensatory mechanism. Importantly, a state-dependent compensatory pathway was identified, wherein the contralesional PMd assumes the functions of the ipsilesional PMd through enhanced interactions with subcortical structures, potentially guiding more effective interventions.

Chronic heart failure is the terminal stage of various cardiovascular diseases， and cardiomyocyte apoptosis is the turning point of decompensation. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） could regulate apoptosis-related signaling pathways and factors and inhibit or up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Thus， TCM can reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis， protect the myocardial tissue and improve the cardiac function， demonstrating remarkable clinical effects. In recent years， the research on the treatment of chronic heart failure based on the inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis is increasing and becomes the current research hotspot. On the basis of literature review， this paper discovers that TCM regulates apoptosis factors and multiple signaling pathways to inhibit apoptosis and inflammation and delay the progression of chronic heart failure through classical pathways such as the death receptor pathway， the mitochondrial pathway， and the endoplasmic reticulum pathway. At the same time， the studies in this field have the following problems： Repeated studies with shallow， simple， and fragmented contents， treating animal models with TCM prescriptions without syndrome differentiation， treating diseases with drugs at only one concentration which is insufficient to indicate efficacy， and lacking comprehensive， holistic， and systematic studies on the relationships of apoptosis with inflammatory responses， pyroptosis， ferroptosis， and autophagy. In the future， more scientific， reasonable， comprehensive， and feasible experimental schemes should be designed on the basis of comprehensively mastering the research progress in this field， and the communication and cooperation between researchers in different disciplines should be strengthened. The specific pathological mechanism of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in chronic heart failure and the signaling pathways， active components， and action targets of TCM in inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis in chronic heart failure should be elucidated. Such efforts are expected to provide sufficient reference for the clinical treatment of chronic heart failure.

Objective To construct intrauterine adhesion (IUA) mouse models induced by two different concentrations of ethanol injury, compare the phenotypes, and optimize a more stable IUA modeling method. Methods Twenty 8-week-old female C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into two groups: the 95% ethanol injury group and the 50% ethanol injury group. Using a self-control method, the left uterine horn was infused with ethanol to establish the IUA model, while the right uterine horn was infused with saline as the sham operation. Five mice from each group were euthanized on day 7 and 15 after modeling, and uterine tissues were collected. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the endometrial pathology, and Masson staining was used to assess the degree of endometrial fibrosis. Quantitative real-time PCR was employed to detect the expression levels of fibrosis markers and pro-inflammatory factors in the uterine tissues. Results Compared to the sham operation, these two ethanol injury led to a significant reduction in elasticity of the uterus, an increase in inflammatory infiltration, and a marked increase in the degree of fibrosis on day 7 after modeling (P<0.05). The 95% ethanol injury group showed a significant decrease in endometrial thickness (P<0.05), whereas no significant change was observed in the 50% ethanol injury group when compared to the sham operation (P>0.05). The expression levels of fibrotic marker molecules collagen type Ⅳ alpha 1 chain (Col4A1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were significantly elevated in the 50% ethanol injury group when compared to the sham operation (P<0.05), although there was an increasing trend of the same markers in the 95% ethanol injury group, the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). On day 15 after modeling, the histopathological changes in both ethanol injury groups were not significant when compared to the sham operation, the expression levels of Col4A1, TGF-β, TNF-α and IL-1β remained significantly higher in the 50% ethanol injury group (P<0.05), while only IL-1β was significantly elevated in the 95% ethanol injury group (P<0.05). Conclusion Uterine infusion with 95% ethanol results in more marked histopathological changes in the IUA mouse model compared to the 50% ethanol injury group. The 95% ethanol injury model is suitable for histopathological studies. However, the 50% ethanol injury group shows higher expression levels of fibrosis markers and pro-inflammatory factors compared to the 95% ethanol injury group, suggesting that the 50% ethanol injury model is more suitable for molecular pathological study.

BACKGROUND: Durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) failed to bring survival benefits to patients with epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) mutations in PACIFIC study (evaluating durvalumab in patients with stage III, unresectable NSCLC who did not have disease progression after concurrent chemoradiotherapy). We aimed to explore whether locally advanced inoperable patients with EGFR mutations benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and the optimal treatment regimen. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases from inception to December 31, 2022 and performed a meta-analysis based on a Bayesian framework, with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) as the primary endpoints. RESULTS: A total of 1156 patients were identified in 16 studies that included 6 treatment measures, including CRT, CRT followed by durvalumab (CRT-Durva), TKI monotherapy, radiotherapy combined with TKI (RT-TKI), CRT combined with TKI (CRT-TKI), and TKI combined with durvalumab (TKI-Durva). The PFS of patients treated with TKI-containing regimens was significantly longer than that of patients treated with TKI-free regimens (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20-0.66). The PFS of TKI monotherapy was significantly longer than that of CRT (HR = 0.66, 95% CI, 0.50-0.87) but shorter than RT-TKI (HR = 1.78, 95% CI, 1.17-2.67). Furthermore, the PFS of RT-TKI or CRT-TKI were both significantly longer than that of CRT or CRT-Durva. RT-TKI ranked first in the Bayesian ranking, with the longest OS (60.8 months, 95% CI = 37.2-84.3 months) and the longest PFS (21.5 months, 95% CI, 15.4-27.5 months) in integrated analysis. CONCLUSIONS: For unresectable stage III EGFR mutant NSCLC, RT and TKI are both essential. Based on the current evidence, RT-TKI brings a superior survival advantage, while CRT-TKI needs further estimation. Large randomized clinical trials are urgently needed to explore the appropriate application sequences of TKI, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. REGISTRATION PROSPERO; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ ; No. CRD42022298490.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/therapy* ; ErbB Receptors/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use*

S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (SMCO) is a non-protein sulfur-containing amino acid with a variety of functions. There are few reports on the enzymes catalyzing the biosynthesis of SMCO from S-methyl-L-cysteine (SMC). In this study, the flavin-containing monooxygenase gene derived from Schizosaccharomyces pombe (spfmo) was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and the enzymatic properties of the expressed protein were analyzed. The optimum catalytic conditions of the recombinant SpFMO were 30 ℃ and pH 8.0, under which the enzyme activity reached 72.77 U/g. An appropriate amount of Mg²⁺ improved the enzyme activity. The enzyme kinetic analysis showed that the K_m and k_cat/K_m of SpFMO on the substrate SMC were 23.89 μmol/L and 61.71 L/(min·mmol), respectively. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the yield of SMCO synthesized from SMC catalyzed by SpFMO was 12.31% within 9 h. This study provides reference for the enzymatic synthesis of SMCO.
Schizosaccharomyces/genetics* ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism* ; Cysteine/biosynthesis* ; Mixed Function Oxygenases/metabolism* ; Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/metabolism* ; Oxygenases/metabolism* ; Kinetics

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of azacitidine combined with lenalidomide in MDS patients and explore potential mechanisms of therapeutic response.Methods:Sixteen MDS patients with TP53 mutations received azacitidine plus lenalidomide at ZhongDa Hospital, Southeast University (January 2021–June 2025). Efficacy and safety were assessed, and TP53 mutation status was correlated with treatment response. Whole-transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics were used to explore molecular biomarkers associated with therapeutic efficacy.Results:Sixteen patients (median age 69.5 years, range 52–82; 8 males, 8 females) were enrolled. According to the Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-M), 1, 2, and 13 patients were classified as median low, high, and very high risk, respectively. Among 16 TP53-mutated patients, 11 had biallelic mutations and 5 had monoallelic mutations. Overall response rate was 56.3% (9/16), composite complete remission rate (CRc) was 31.3% (5/16), and hematology improvement rate was 25% (4/16). Among TP53-mutated patients, the response rate was 56.3% (9/16), with variant allele frequency dropping from 65.6% to 16.5% in responders ( P=0.017). In patients with TP53 mutations and complex karyotype, response rate was 53.8% (7/13), with 57.1% (4/7) showing disappearance of CK post-treatment. The most common grade 3–4 nonhematologic adverse events were infections (9/16, 56.3% ), including pneumonia (4/16, 25.0% ), gastrointestinal infections (3/16, 18.8% ), perianal infections (1/16, 6.3% ) and sepsis (1/16, 6.3% ). High CBX8 expression may be linked to treatment response. Conclusion:Azacitidine plus lenalidomide is an effective and safe therapy for MDS, including patients with TP53 mutations and complex karyotypes. Treatment markedly reduces TP53 variant allele frequency in responders, and high CBX8 expression may predict therapeutic response.

BACKGROUND:Adeno-associated virus(AAV)gene therapy has been proven to be reliable and safe for the treatment of osteoarthritis in recent years.However,given the complexity of osteoarthritis pathogenesis,single gene manipulation for the treatment of osteoarthritis may not produce satisfactory results.Previous studies have shown that nuclear factor κB could promote the inflammatory pathway in osteoarthritic chondrocytes,and bone morphogenetic protein 4(BMP4)could promote cartilage regeneration.OBJECTIVE:To test whether combined application of AAV-p65shRNA and AAV-BMP4 will yield the synergistic effect on chondrocytes regeneration and osteoarthritis treatment.METHODS:Viral particles containing AAV-p65-shRNA and AAV-BMP4 were prepared.Their efficacy in inhibiting inflammation in chondrocytes and promoting chondrogenesis was assessed in vitro and in vivo by transfecting AAV-p65-shRNA or AAV-BMP4 into cells.The experiments were divided into five groups:PBS group;osteoarthritis group;AAV-BMP4 group;AAV-p65shRNA group;and BMP4-p65shRNA 1:1 group.Samples were collected at 4,12,and 24 weeks postoperatively.Tissue staining,including safranin O and Alcian blue,was applied after collecting articular tissue.Then,the optimal ratio between the two types of transfected viral particles was further investigated to improve the chondrogenic potential of mixed cells in vivo.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The combined application of AAV-p65shRNA and AAV-BMP4 together showed a synergistic effect on cartilage regeneration and osteoarthritis treatment.Mixed cells transfected with AAV-p65shRNA and AAV-BMP4 at a 1:1 ratio produced the most extracellular matrix synthesis(P<0.05).In vivo results also revealed that the combination of the two viruses had the highest regenerative potential for osteoarthritic cartilage(P<0.05).In the present study,we also discovered that the combined therapy had the maximum effect when the two viruses were administered in equal proportions.Decreasing either p65shRNA or BMP4 transfected cells resulted in less collagen Ⅱ synthesis.This implies that inhibiting inflammation by p65shRNA and promoting regeneration by BMP4 are equally important for osteoarthritis treatment.These findings provide a new strategy for the treatment of early osteoarthritis by simultaneously inhibiting cartilage inflammation and promoting cartilage repair.

The three-dimensional (3D) printed bone tissue repair guide scaffold is considered a promising method for treating bone defect repair. In this experiment, chitosan (CS), sodium alginate (SA), and mineralized collagen (MC) were combined and 3D printed to form scaffolds. The experimental results showed that the printability of the scaffold was improved with the increase of chitosan concentration. Infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the scaffold formed a cross-linked network through electrostatic interaction between chitosan and sodium alginate under acidic conditions, and X-ray diffraction results showed the presence of characteristic peaks of hydroxyapatite, indicating the incorporation of mineralized collagen into the scaffold system. In the in vitro collagen release experiments, a weakly alkaline environment was found to accelerate the release rate of collagen, and the release amount increased significantly with a lower concentration of chitosan. Cell experiments showed that scaffolds loaded with mineralized collagen could significantly promote cell proliferation activity and alkaline phosphatase expression. The subcutaneous implantation experiment further verified the biocompatibility of the material, and the implantation of printed scaffolds did not cause significant inflammatory reactions. Histological analysis showed no abnormal pathological changes in the surrounding tissues. Therefore, incorporating mineralized collagen into sodium alginate/chitosan scaffolds is believed to be a new tissue engineering and regeneration strategy for achieving enhanced osteogenic differentiation through the slow release of collagen.
Chitosan/chemistry* ; Alginates/chemistry* ; Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry* ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Osteogenesis ; Collagen/chemistry* ; Cell Differentiation ; Animals ; Tissue Engineering/methods* ; Cell Proliferation ; Biocompatible Materials ; Glucuronic Acid/chemistry* ; Hexuronic Acids/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of zedoarondiol on neovascularization of atherosclerotic (AS) plaque by exosomes experiment. METHODS: ApoE^-/- mice were fed with high-fat diet to establish AS model and treated with high- and low-dose (10, 5 mg/kg daily) of zedoarondiol, respectively. After 14 weeks, the expressions of anti-angiogenic protein thrombospondin 1 (THBS-1) and its receptor CD36 in plaques, as well as platelet activation rate and exosome-derived miR-let-7a were detected. Then, zedoarondiol was used to intervene in platelets in vitro, and miR-let-7a was detected in platelet-derived exosomes (Pexo). Finally, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were transfected with miR-let-7a mimics and treated with Pexo to observe the effect of miR-let-7a in Pexo on tube formation. RESULTS: Animal experiments showed that after treating with zedoarondiol, the neovascularization density in plaques of AS mice was significantly reduced, THBS-1 and CD36 increased, the platelet activation rate was markedly reduced, and the miR-let-7a level in Pexo was reduced (P<0.01). In vitro experiments, the platelet activation rate and miR-let-7a levels in Pexo were significantly reduced after zedoarondiol's intervention. Cell experiments showed that after Pexo's intervention, the tube length increased, and the transfection of miR-let-7a minics further increased the tube length of cells, while reducing the expressions of THBS-1 and CD36. CONCLUSION Zedoarondiol has the effect of inhibiting neovascularization within plaque in AS mice, and its mechanism may be potentially related to inhibiting platelet activation and reducing the Pexo-derived miRNA-let-7a level.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Exosomes/drug effects* ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Humans ; Blood Platelets/drug effects* ; Apolipoproteins E/deficiency* ; Thrombospondin 1/metabolism* ; CD36 Antigens/metabolism* ; Platelet Activation/drug effects* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL